ADA Best Practices Tool Kit for State and Local Governments

A. What are the ADA’s Requirements for Emergency Communications Systems?

The ADA requires that all Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) provide direct and equal access to their services for people with disabilities who use teletypewriters (TTYs).¹

1. What does direct and equal access mean?

“Direct access” means that PSAPs must directly receive TTY calls without relying on an outside relay service or third-party services.

“Equal access” means that the telephone emergency services provided for TTY users are as effective as those provided for people who make voice calls. Access must be equal in terms of:

• response time;

• response quality;

• hours of operation; and

• all other features offered (e.g., automatic number identification, automatic location identification, automatic call distribution).

2. Types of Telephone Emergency Services Covered

All basic emergency services provided by public safety agencies are covered, including police, fire, and ambulance services. Direct, equal access must be provided to all services included in the system. An example of another emergency service covered is an emergency poison control information service.

Some emergency communications services use a two-tiered system to dispatch services. In these situations, a primary PSAP is the initial 9-1-1 answering point. It transfers calls to secondary PSAPs, such as fire or emergency medical services. In those transfer situations, PSAPs must understand how to correctly transfer TTY calls. Secondary PSAPs have the same responsibilities under the ADA as do primary PSAPs. They must be able to receive transferred TTY calls as efficiently and effectively as voice calls.